The Challenge of 100 Themes
by Healer Kira
Summary: Done for Driftstar-Leader of TreeClan's 100 Theme Challenge. Will mostly be about Luigi, Mr. L, Dimentio and other characters from that game.
1. Worthless

1. Worthless

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

He was nothing.

It was a somber, crippling thought that resonated throughout his weary brain, repeating until it felt as though he would go mad.

But it was true. He was a pathetic, useless thing.

After all, why else had that damnable jester had been able to- to

He sobbed into his knees as his thin form rocked back and forth, back and forth, scratched and bruised arms trembling in disgust around folded knees.

He had nothing. He _was _nothing.

_Nothing but a worthless thing, left to fall with ugly, broken wings._

He had thought it was bad when he was defeated by those stupid, weak heroes. They had demolished his pride, his dignity and his robot-

He had thought _that _was low. But he was wrong. Wasn't he always?

He had been wrong about Dimentio. He had thought Dimentio was safe, little crazy and weird, but of course, he had to have that thought-

'_The count wouldn't keep him around if the jester was any danger to the minions, right?'_

The Count was always right. Right_?_

Wrong.

He had been so wrong.

So dreadfully, horribly, wrong.

Now, hours afterward, it almost felt like a dream. Hallucination. Delusion. Figment of the imagination.

But he knew that was wrong too. There was still so much red. The Crimson red. The _Blood_. And the pain, agony from the lashes upon his back. Bruises around his wrists. From his bottom, shooting up his spine and feeling like white-hot lightening.

It was all still there.

It couldn't have been a dream.

If it had been a dream, the pain would be gone. He would be in his wonderfully dark rooms, in that oh so and warm comfortable bed, staring at the stone above his.

Not in this cold, god-forsaken place.

…

Why hadn't he seen it before? He wasn't stupid. Or was he?

_I just don't know anymore._

Would he ever?

_Just a worthless, broken tool._

That's all he was.

And now, he realized all he would ever be.

His most treasured possession, his virginity, his _innocence_

Stolen.

Now he was left the cold, unforgiving dark, shivering and sobbing.

Just one brutal thrust was all it took. Just one foolish move, one stupid mistake on his part and everything he knew-

Proven wrong.

_By the one in violet and beige. _

His grey eyes, unbound by the usual black shot open, narrowing in a sudden show of fury.

_That bastard._

His body uncurled, and he stood, teeth gritted as bolts of pain assaulted him.

The tiny voice of logic in the back of his mind screamed at him to stop, but the raw, towering anger overpowered it, giving him the strength to stumble towards the door of the stone room he was.

Only one thought echoed through his mind.

_**Revenge.**_

_OoOoOoO_

_Written for Driftstar-Leader of TreeClan's 100 theme Challenge. As you can obviously see, this is WORTHLESS. I couldn't help doing a Dimentio X Mr. L one. How I did I do?_

_Review! _


	2. Release

2. Release

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

They say pride comes before a fall.

Unfortunately, Mario had never heard 'them' say that particular phrase.

His life had been perfect. He had been the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, revered throughout the lands for his bravery and strength. With a wonderful younger brother and a beautiful princess as a girlfriend, he had been happy.

Mario did admit it was tedious, at times, doing the same routine day after day. Bowser kidnaps the princess, he travel to the castle and throws the koopa into lava, they go home. Only to repeat the process a week, month, sometimes merely a day later. It got frustrating at times, but it was his life.

Well, had been.

If you had told him Bowser was finally going to win that fateful day, Mario never would've believed you. Bowser winning was like a bad joke. In fact he probably told you to go get a job at the clinic in Toad Town. You would fit right in.

But yet, that's exactly what happened.

It was his own fault, he knew. Even though the princess used to tell him every day when she was still alive it wasn't, Mario knew it was. He was overconfident. Rash. _Stupid._

If only he had looked behind him. Maybe this would have happened. None of this would've happened. None of the Kingdoms would've fell, and he wouldn't be where he was now, trapped in this blasted dungeon, freezing, and dying of starvation…

Alone.

Princess Peach had been the first to go. Two guards, a goomba and koopa came and simply escorted her out of the cell. She had made no protest. None of them had, not even him. Burning tears had fallen down dirty his cheeks as the once proud woman was forced to god-knows where, but with his broken legs, no protest could he make.

From then, it had simply gone downhill.

Food was originally delivered almost every week, but that was decreasing, in both quantity, quality, and now, he wasn't sure if it even came anymore. He really didn't care. Nobody was getting food in this hell-hole. Groan and shrieks were a regular occurrence as the dying rattled the bars, begging for food, or sobbing over dead loved ones.

They had taken Luigi last week. Then he had protested, screaming obscenities as they forced his brother, wide-eyed and pleading, down the hall, into _that _room-

The agonizing screams still haunted him, in sleep and in reality.

It was his turn, he knew, when he heard the familiar ominous footsteps pound down the hallway.

Surprisingly, he wasn't sad. He wasn't angry, terrified, or even hopeless. As they grabbed his weak arms, forcing him to stumble on crooked legs down towards the room, a smile came over his worn features.

They had defeated him. And now, after an eternity of wallowing in sorrow, he was finally going to get his release.

_OoOoOoO_

_As you may guess from the opening phrase, this was originally for Pride, but I looked over the list and saw Release and thought it would better suit this. Believe me, there are a bunch of one-shots, and probably whole stories I can do for Pride, so, don't worry._

_Review!_


	3. Monster

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

Mimi pulled the hood of her bright green jacket down further over her face- a seemingly innocent act, considering the heavy rain pouring from the grey sky.

The streets were empty, but when she entered Sweet Smiles, it was full of people trying to outwait the rain.

_Typical. _She couldn't help thinking, a hateful edge to her thoughts. _Can't even brave the rain._

"Mimi!" the cook called out with a smile. "How ya doin' sugar?"

She winced. Immediately the café turned silent, hundreds of eyes turning to look at _her_, the freak who tried to destroy all worlds.

A braver girl would've proudly pulled back the hood, staring straight ahead and walking as though he belonged.

She was not one such braver girl.

All Mimi could do was wish she wasn't such a coward, silently cursing herself as she walked to the counter, staring downward at the floor.

"Hey, Saffron. My usual please."

The chef nodded cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the hatful mutterings being whispered throughout the store. Mimi pulled the hood down even farther, trying to hide the shameful scars. It did no good. Her hands clenched in their pockets, one turning a small gold key over nervously as her sharp ears picked out the hurtful whispers.

"_Do you see her? Yeah, she was one of those minions…"_

"_Tried to destroy the universe, I heard…"_

"_Look at all those scars…"_

"_Nothing but a monster…"_

"_A freak…"_

It took all her self- control not to burst out sobbing. Saffron set her order on the counter and she meticulously counted out the usual amount , forcing her hands not to shake.

"See ya next time sugar!" The chef yelled after her as she hurriedly stepped back out into the pouring rain, the pleasant jingle of the door almost drowned out by the shower.

A freak. Monster. It was horribly, agonizingly true, and to this day, she could figure out why she joined that blasted count in the first place.

If she hadn't joined that count, she wouldn't be hated. Despised, by everyone se met. She wouldn't have all these scars. She simply wouldn't be…

Empty.

The olive skinned female was at the elevator now. She stepped in, ignoring the piercing looks and pressed the button for the main floor.

After the Chaos Heart had been destroyed, and the heroes had returned to their own dimension, she had gone back to the mansion, almost quite literally on her knees. Merlee had been gracious enough to allow her to stay.

_Where would I be, without Merlee…_

Mimi got off on her floor and quickly made her way to the portal leading to the mansion.

She wouldn't be able to stay at the Castle Bleck. Half of the place was probably destroyed by now. Besides, there were too many bad memories at that dratted castle…

After putting everything up in the kitchen, Mimi was now back in her room. Almost on auto-pilot, she shrugged out of the coat and laid it out by the window to dry.

Staring at the rain still pouring down outside, a few tears escaped her black eyes.

_**Just a monster.**_

_OoOoOoOoO _

_I love doing these. _

_Review!_


	4. Death

4. Death

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

It was amazing how someone could simply… die.

Mr. L easy decapitated another Sammer Guy, swallowing down bile as its blood splattered across the already crimson- covered ground. He glanced behind him, watching as Dimentio causally blasted several with a purple and yellow plasma ball, then turned to face his own battles as many more flocked to destroy the pair trying to kill it's people.

It was a special mission, assigned only to him and the jester. Count Bleck, in an act of mercy, told them to warp to Sammer's Kingdom and kill as many as possible to save them from being painfully destroyed by the Void.

Mr. L hadn't protested, knowing it was necessary, and also wanting to save his fellow minions from such a task. It was horrifying to think of Mimi killing people, and although O'Chunks could do the job, he wasn't exactly the brightest star in the sky, not to mention, he was just about in the league as Mimi with the whole "killing" thing.

The gentleman thief quickly slew several more of the Sammer Guys ,then forced himself to kill a few pleading and sobbing innocents, giving them quick deaths.

_It's better than them being sucked up by the Void. _He reminded himself_. It's an act of mercy._

There was agonized screaming behind him. He turned, to see Dimentio, with a gleeful smile on his face, electrify one of the Sammers, watching it thrash and writh about in pain. Horrified, he stabbed it through the chest, ending it's agony with a mercy killing.

"Aww…" The jester whined, "You killed it."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Mr. L exploded, glaring at him with such intensity, it was a wonder the jester didn't catch on fire.

"Oh lighten up, Mr. L. I was just having some fun." Dimentio commented, as though torturing a man was perfectly normal. "Honestly, you're as tense as a cat in a dog pound. They're all going to die in the end anyway."

He desperately wished to strangle the jester right here and there, leave his corpse upon the ground with the others.

"Look," he hissed, voice dripping with malice," We are not here to have 'fun'. We are here so thousands of people won't have to suffer through the Void-"

"Do you truly believe that?" Dimentio interrupted him, and though there was still a smirk upon his mask, Mr. L could see a hint of sadness, a tiredness almost hidden by the sadistic glee.

He didn't answer the question, instead turning and decapitating the Sammer Guy's trying to attack from his left.

_**No Dimentio, I don't. I'm just trying to believe all this slaughter isn't for nothing.**_

_OoOoOoO_

_You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to put quotation marks around "act of mercy" and "to save them" at the beginning. To me, this really does seem like some twisted thing Count Bleck would do. Not Bluemiere, per se, just Count Bleck._

_I may have said it before, but I will say it again, I love doing these._

_Review!_


	5. Punishment

5. Punishment

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoOoO

He had never thought it would go this far. The madness obtained from reading the Dark Prognostic was powerful, almost uncontainable, but… he had thought he had a hold on it, some semblance of control after it had gotten out of hand so many years ago…

He knew now that it had all been an illusion.

Staring down at his most loyal minion quivering helplessly on the floor, Count Bleck couldn't help but feel guilty that his magic had caused such damage, such destruction… but the insanity brushed the emotion aside.

'**It was for his own good. Without a little pain, he would've never learned.' **

With that thought, he locked away the guilt yet remaining and hardened his gaze at the injured man.

"Get up."

His voice was deadly and unfeeling, as though his actions had been justified.

"Count Bleck holds no pity for the weak."

He half expected a sharp reply to the statement, but the mask thief just rose, pausing in a kneeled position before standing fully, swaying from side to side.

Gashes adorning his hollow cheeks were weeping sluggishly, bruises decorated his jaw and neck, and through rips in the black jumpsuit, more cuts could be seen, soaking the dark material in blood.

Yet, no pain or emotion twisted his features; his face was completely impassive, only shame and self-loathing brightening the dull orbs of silver.

"This is your own fault; Count Bleck does not tolerate failure. You are weak. Pathetic. Those heroes shouldn't have been able to defeat you."

"I will do better next time, I swear, my count."

Soft, but rough, Mr. L's voice was filled with shame, sorrow deepening his pained tone.

The insanity wanted to speak more painful truths, and _**break him, **_but Count Bleck pushed it away.

"See that you do. Count Bleck will not be as kind nor forgiving if you fail again."

Mr. L bowed deeply, and limped from the study, his shoulders low and head hung miserably. Count Bleck watched him go, then sat down heavily in his high-backed chair.

'_You didn't have to punish him like that. He's loyal enough that just failing would be enough.'_

**Yes, I did have to punish him as such. Just a blow to his pride wouldn't have been enough; he needed to realize that failure is simply not tolerated. **

'_Would you punish Mimi or O'Chunks like that?'_

**If it was necessary. **

'_Liar. She wouldn't approve, you know.'_

**I know. But she's **_**dead**_**; stop bringing up the past. **

The mental debate was abruptly abandoned, and he swiveled the chair around to look at the paperwork on his desk.

Whether or not it had been needed, it was done. Mr. L would recover in a few days, and maybe he would actually defeat the heroes next time he was sent.

He had only done what was necessary, Count Bleck told himself.

Only what was necessary.

Only what was necessary.

_Liar._

_OoOoOoOoO_

_Well, I like this one. It's a bit better than the others. But, #4 remains by favorite, followed closely by #3 and #2. How about ya'll? You all, I mean. _

_Review!_


	6. Murder

6. Murder

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

The firelight dancing off her crimson-covered body-

_-So beautiful- _

Almost made it seem as though she was on fire as well. Those beautiful violet eyes, which had been filled with such terror such a short time ago-

_-Don't be scared. I love you-_

stared at him blankly from where he sat, directly in front of her, drenched in blood. Her blood.

_-That's not right-_

The mad man had come… and killed her. Father was dead, Mother was dead, and everyone was dead, dead, dead. How dreadful.

He was overcome with a fit of giggles at that point, rocking back and forth in a fit of lunacy, as he whispered,

"Count Bleck shouldn't have done that!"

But they were going to send her away-

_-My darling my darling my life and my bride-_

Away so they couldn't be together.

_-My beautiful Timpani-_

She was gone now. They had succeeded. Father said she was cursed to roam all worlds until her death.

"Count Bleck needs to find her."

His whispering voice, which used to be melodic and handsome, now sounded velvety and seductive, like someone of evil.

_-But he was good-_

His bright blue eyes, ones she had complimented him on so many times, were now a deep red-

_-Like the beautiful blood-_

A frightening, but fascinating hue that could capture women's eyes and have them transfixed upon him, and only him.

But he didn't want that attention. He was looking for **her. **So he killed them. All of them. Except one.

She became his secretary, not his lover, as they searched across the worlds for **her. **

_-She wasn't here-_

She wasn't anywhere. So he was hurt, and sad. For he had searched every world there to be searched; yet, his beautiful Timpani was nowhere.

So he decided to destroy them all.

_-For a world without her, is no world to be living in.-_

He collected the minions, to aid him, when he read in the book how to destroy the worlds.

The shapeshifter, who wanted for nothing, but was greedy in a world that she believed hated her.

The fallen general, whose doubts and fears the count used and heightened until he was on his knees in guilt.

The mercenary, master of dimensions, pleaser of crowds.

He told them of a perfect world, playing upon their dreams and desires until they pledged loyalty to him on bended knee.

In truth, he cared nothing of their perfect world.

His focus was on revenge, revenge against the universe who had taken her away.

At least, that's what he told himself.

_-My darling my darling, my life and my bride_

_My beautiful Timpani-_

_**OoOoOoO**_

_The story starts off like in the game, but he looked into the Dark Prognostic to see how they could escape from his father. Why? He was young and foolish, and despite the warnings, he read it, went insane, killed his entire family, and then the love of his life. _

_But Bluemiere believes his father sent her away. The canon story is just a crazed illusion, so to speak. _

_Poor Timpani. And Tribe of Darkness. And all those other girls he murdered. _

_Review!_


	7. Suicide

7. Suicide

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

Luigi stood at the edge of Mushroom Gorge, staring down at the black abyss with a blank look of unfeeling.

There was nothing in his eyes but an empty, tired glean, as though he cared for naught.

_I care for nobody, no, not I, if nobody cares for me. _He thought wearily. Over the years, it had become a sort of personal hymn.

What was there to live for? He had nothing. Mario was king now. Daisy had never loved him in the first place, even after the marriage…

Now, he was just the forgotten younger brother of the great hero Mario. A nobody… and that's all he would ever be.

He had tried long ago, to be known. To have at least a few people recognize him by name. To not be just "Green Mario."

Out of all the things he'd been called, that one somehow hurt the worst.

He had trained, he went on all the adventures he could, but nothing seemed to work. Even after Mario was crowned king, and Luigi took up his mantle, no one knew him. One Toad had asked why his favorite color was now green instead of red.

So he was going to end it. He was going to end the continuous suffering that was his life. Today had been the last straw.

It had taken place at the castle. Princess Peach had invited him to one of the feasts that frequently took place there, and he had accepted.

It had been agonizing to see his older brother. Mario had everything he could only dream of; A wife, with a baby on the way, a home…

It took all of his strength to contain his jealousy, but he had done it, all the way up to the dessert, smiling, chatting idly, not even showing a hint of envy. But then his brother had said, just 'joking'

"Hey, when are you going to settle down again Weegee? "

An innocent statement, but sometimes, it's the innocent ones that cause the most pain. They knew how he felt about that.

Peach smile immediately dropped, and a few moments later so did Mario's as he realized what he had said. But the damage was done.

Luigi abruptly stood up, stepping from the table, eyes cast down to the floor. He hadn't wanted Mario to see the tears.

"I 'settled down' once before Mario. I don't think I could go through it again."

He had wanted to fling more **hateful, angry** words, make his brother at least a portion of his pain, but…

He couldn't. He couldn't bear the thought of someone else feeling the unrelenting grief, the pain that went on and on…

So instead Luigi stormed from the castle, the biting rain had washing away the tears, and hardening his resolve.

So he was here. Eyes closed, toes on the edge of empty, he was ready. His knees bent, ready to leap to the sweet embrace of death.

Deep breaths echoed through the thin air. Luigi waited, as if some unknown force would magically push him over the edge, or get rid of the heart-wrenching fear in his gut. But nothing came. He tried to step over the edge, but he couldn't. He tried to jump, but-

_You just can't do it. _

Luigi fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, hands clenched on either side of his head as sobs shook his body at the painfully true words.

_You weak, spineless coward, you can't do it. _

_You can't kill yourself._

_You can't end your own pathetic existence._

_**OoOoOoO**_

_This was one of those lost cause stories, where I started out with a sentence I didn't really like, but I didn't have anything else , plus there was writers block after it, but I'm too stingy to throw it out and start anew. You'd be surprised how often it happens._

_Go out and stand at the edge of somewhere high; the roof, a hill, cliff, something. Ask yourself- Can you really do it? If I you felt as though life was hopeless, if you felt as though you simply couldn't stand living anymore, could you jump over the edge and kill yourself? I've tried, and I don't think I could._

_Review!_


	8. Disgust

8. Disgust.

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

Though his features remained impassive; Mr. L could feel nothing but disgust for the thing at his feet, begging for the masked assassin standing above it to spare it's pathetic life.

It was yet another informant of the counts who had told false information about the heroes. Mr. L felt particular hate for those kind. It was their own fault they were going to die, after all. Tell what you knew to the count, and he would reward you with a perfect world. Simple.

"Have you no soul!?" The thing wailed. L sighed. This was starting to become boring, listening to it plead. Might as well get the task over with.

In one swift move he pulled out his knife, positioning it directly over it's skull.

"Next time, I hope you will think twice about disobeying the count." He recited.

The thing was dead before it hit the floor.

Warping back to the castle, L couldn't help but think of how much he hated those types of missions. Killing never was as pleasant to him as it was to Dimentio or Count Bleck; it never would be. It was a horrible thing to end a life, and he could never fully get rid of the guilt it brought him afterwards.

That wasn't even mentioning the disgust he had for himself as well. That he could end another beings life so casually with only the barest of remorse…

The man was snapped out of his thoughts as he reached Nastasia's office. Poking his head in the doorway, he called out to the secretary,

"Hey Nastasia, I'm back from the mission!"

"Um, kay, could you just fill out-"

She looked up and sighed. He was already gone.

Slamming the door to his bed room, Mr. L peeled off his red-soaked gloves and shirt, hopping into the shower. It was hour later when he finally came out, the clock above his desk chiming 10 o'clock.

The man tied back his mask, and flopped onto his bed lazily. Though his posture was relaxed, there was a tenseness in his shoulders, a desperate prayer in his mind that the hallucination wouldn't come.

"Why?"

Damn.

"Why did you kill me?"

"Why do you people insist on haunting me every god-damn night?" Mr. L hissed back, opening his eyes and glaring at the apparition standing beside his bed.

The thing, the same one he had killed earlier that day stared back at him, sad, haunting eyes mournfully dripping red. A knife was stabbed directly into its forehead, blood trailing down his pale face.

"You killed me. I wasn't hurting anybody; I just wanted to protect my family."

Mr. L pulled a pillow over his head, but yet, the words of the thing he refused to call a person still reached his ears, before being joined by others, the voices of the innocent people _he _had killed…

Dimentio watched from high above, his smile widening with every shudder and shriek of,

"Shut up! Just please, S-SHUT UP!"

Then a quiet whimper.

"God, I'm disgusting…"

_OoOoOoO_

_When Dimentio can't kill anyone, he has to get his kicks somehow, right?_

_Oh, yeah, and L calls them 'it' and 'thing' in his mind because he regards them as less than trash. Yet, he still feel remorse for killing them…_

_On this one, it is completely unreal. Bleck has the Dark Prognostic; why would he need informants?_

_Review!_


	9. Never Again

9. Never Again

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

It was on quiet days like this that Mr. L couldn't stand to stay in Castle Bleck. Either everyone was too quiet, and the silence made him antsy, or it was too, loud, Mimi's shrieking at Dimentio almost bursting his eardrums.

So whenever the heroes were resting in Flipside, preparing for the next fight, he would sneak out of the castle in disguise, spending the day in either Flipside or Flopside, slinking around the towns watching for possible victims to steal from, and relaxing in the various shops and cafes.

On this particular day, Mr. L was in Flipside, sipping on a Shroom Shake and watching the door with a careful eye. Though he was sure no one would recognize him in the Sammer glamour he was cloaked in, you couldn't be too careful, especially if those heroes came in.

The door jingled.

_Think of the devil and he will appear._

walked in first, followed by Ms. Alwaysgetskidnapped who looked around worriedly at the shady looking patrons.

"Mario, I'm not sure we should be in here,"

Mr. L heard her whisper from his chair, which was almost directly beside the door. He quietly scooted back from the table, downing the rest of his drink. Time for him to leave.

"Don't worry Peach, we- "

He paused, staring at Mr. L with a confused look. L hurriedly threw the empty can away, walking sedately towards the door and ignoring the stares of the two heroes, his enemies.

"Er… when have you ever seen a Sammer guy in Flipside?" The man in red whispered to the princess.

Mr. L's pace quickened minutely and the hero's eyes narrowed, going to grab Mr. L's arm. "Hey, I was-"

The mechanic broke into a run, tearing his arm from the ma's grip, pushing past the both of them and dashing into the street.

_If Count Bleck finds out I've been doing this…_

Shouts rang out behind him. He ran even faster, ignoring the cries to stop. The elevator was just ahead, its doors closing-

Mr. L darted in just in time, pressing the button for ground floor, ignoring the pounding against the doors and wide-eyed stares of the elevator's other occupants.

He got out at his floor, then touched his bandana and warped back to his rooms at Castle Bleck. Still panting, he removed the glamour and flopped onto his bed.

"That… was…close." He told himself between gasps.

"Never… going… to…Flipside… again."

Well, at least not in a Sammer disguise.

_OoOoOoO_

_Yeah, weak, I know, but I wasn't even aiming for this theme when I wrote it. Not really sure what I was aiming for at all, come to think of it…_

_On why he has to go the ground floor to warp, well, if they could simply warp to any floor, why not defeat the heroes while they sleep? Or some other mischief that would require them to make a quick exit? I mean, I know Count Bleck was crazy and regarded the heroes as nothing but nuisances in the beginning, but still…_

_Review!_


	10. Horror

10. Horror

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

_I killed him._

It was Mario's only thought as he stared at the still man lying at his feet.

_I killed him. I killed Mr. L. _

They had been fighting, exchanging blows and he… he just got so angry…

He had always been quick to anger. Hot headed. But this…

_Did I really do this…?_

He couldn't have. The guy's face is half crushed in; He couldn't possibly have done such horrific damage…

_It had to have been an accident. Something heavy hit him… A meteor?_

But, the memory ran through his mind…. the surprisingly frail jaw caving under his calloused fist…the second blow to the man's face, crumbling it into a bloody pulp…

"Oh god…" he whispered aloud. The sound of his own voice made him jump, and he could suddenly hear Princess Peach sobbing behind him. The thought came to go comfort her, but…

_I killed him. I murdered someone. _

The thought seemed to echo through his head as he dropped to his knees, still staring at the lifeless corpse, for some reason memorizing the scene, as if trying to punish his self for committing such a crime.

The left side of the man's face was completely smashed in, as if someone had took a sledge hammer to it. Blood dribbled out of the sticky mush at a steady rate, creating a pool of scarlet across the floor. Dull, silver eyes stared emptily at the sky.

The thought came to close the empty eyes of grey.

His red-stained gloves trembling, he loosed the knot of the black mask, which was done almost reverently, as if it had been the masked villain's greatest treasure, and pulled it off.

A choked sob rang through the air.

"L-luigi?"

He turned.

Princess Peach was standing behind him, her white gloved hands clenched at her mouth as tears trailed down her face. Bowser loomed behind her, staring at him with a strange look.

He glanced to the corpse. Empty blue eyes gazed back at him, and he took a few steps back in surprise. That wasn't right. Mr. L's eyes were gray. Right?

He rubbed at his eyes furiously, as if trying to prove them wrong. The corpse was wearing a red shirt now. Blue overalls. No... no, that wasn't right.

"L-luigi.. how could you…?"

The princess spoke again. His head spun to look at her, then looking back at the body, he reached up to rub his eyes-

Black. The man stared down at the dark sleeves, trembling. He was wearing black, not red. This wasn't right. This wasn't right.

A painful sob racked his body.

He was Mario! He k-killed Mr. L! Not the other way around!

Right!?

Slowly he sank to his knees, claw like fingers clutching the sides of his head with a painful grip.

No… no… He was Mario… Mr. L….

One tearful glance to the still body of his greatest enemy broke his world in two.

_OoOoOoO_

_Mr. L's fun to manipulate. You can have him brutally slaughter a bunch of innocent people, and have him break down and go into denial when he accidently kills someone.  
There wasn't much of a reaction from him when he tore the mask off because, well, he wasn't Mario, he was Mr. L, Taking off his own mask in the hallucination. Everyone probably knew that, but I just wanted to make it clear._

_I kinda like this one, even though it needs to be improved. It gets the point across, but it doesn't tell the story well. If anyone can tell me where this needs to improve, I will gladly lend an ear. Or three. Because I need all the help I can get…_

_Review!_


	11. Rage

11. Rage

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

The anger was frightening, but oddly addictive.

It curled down as a hot fiery storm to the very tips of his toes, and as his eyes narrowed and fists clenched, he had the _tiniest _of urges to stop. But he didn't. He let the anger overwhelm him, taking away any and all rational thought that could possibly stop his mad reign of destruction.

OoOoOoO

She watched with wide-eyes as he brutally slaughtered her frequent kidnapper, fire blazing across his body as he dealt swift punches to the dazed king, kicks breaking scaly skin until the koopa fell to the floor with a resonating crack.  
There would be no repeat performances of kidnapping, Peach knew. Bowser was dead.

The red fire blazed out, leaving his clothes burnt and ashy. He turned to her, once fiery red eyes now slowly morphing into the comforting baby blue. Mario looked tired, and in pain. Exhaustion reeked from every pore of his body as he walked, unsteady footsteps sounding sporadic across the stone floor, to unlock the cage. She swept in to his arms, tear of joy trailing down her face.

He took a moment to respond; with one trembling arm he squeezed her tight-as if trying to give all the love he could- before falling limp to the ground. Peach was too surprised to catch him.

She collapsed to the ground beside him, her pink dress bushing out around her.

With one gloved hand, the suspicion she begged not be true was confirmed; Mario was dead.

The two eternal rivals now fought in the land of the deceased.

OoOoOoO

The funeral was held a few weeks afterward. Much of the kingdom, as well as many from the neighboring kingdoms attended. Prince Peasley, dressed in a rather gloomy outfit of black had made a surprising appearance, as well as many of his subjects.

Princess Peach stared at casket, tears welling up in her eyes. It was still hard to believe he was dead, , after all the good times they'd had. Luigi put an arm around her shoulders not looking down to see her face but just standing there, to just _be _there. He gave comfort to her and the others as the coffin was lowered in to the ground, throwing a few roses as tears tries to trail down his own cheeks-

He wiped them away jerkily, she saw. Now that Mario was gone, it would be his responsibility to rise up and take on his older brother' mantle of defending the Mushroom Kingdom from any enemies that dare try to overtake it.

Watching him stand ram-rod straight, but still relaxed, calm but emotions conflicting under the surface, silently giving comfort to everyone around him even though he need the reassurance more than anybody at this point- Peach couldn't help but _know _ he would be a great hero.

He wasn't driven by rage, like his brother.

_OoOoOoO_

_Yeah, painful to read, but it's the first thing I came with. Took so long to update because I wasn't sure whether to upload. _

_I guess I should explain on the last one. Yes, Mr.L killed Mario. But he thought he was Mario, he was hallucinating. The mask thing , where he takes off the mask that was on Mario, that was part of the hallucination. He was taking off his own mask. Mr. L killed Mario, not the other way around._

_Thank you, Brandirobin2. Didn't really understand it myself until I read your review._

_Review!_


	12. Affection

12. Affection

By Healer Kira

OoOoOoO

Only three days.

Luigi Mario only had three days to live, and he didn't even know it yet.

His brother, Mario, sat beside the hospital bed with his head in his hands. Luigi was sleeping, the worry-lined face finally smoothing out into a peaceful expression two hours ago.

The door opened and the red-cloth man looked up, seeing a white-coated Toad walk in.

His expression was grim, and Mario's heart sank.

"Well?" He croaked.

The doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do."

He jumped as Mario slammed his fist into the white linoleum floor.

"There's gotta be something-"

"M-Mario?"

He immediately turned around, offering a weak smile to the man.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry bro. Go on back to sleep."

"What's going on?" He asked, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"Nothing bro. Sit back down. Don't want you looking any worse." Mario said jokingly, helping his brother back down.

In truth, Luigi couldn't really look any worse than he already was. Dark bags hung under his weary blue eyes, enunciated by his ashen skin. He was skinny, his ribs clearly visible through the thin hospital gown, and every breath seemed to rattle his chest.

Luigi eyed him with a look that clearly said he didn't believe him. Mario just smiled in response.

He sat back down in the uncomfortable plastic chair, glancing at the door and seeing the doctor had left.

"There's no hope for me, is there? I'm gonna die."

His voice was quiet, blank. Mario quickly replied with,

"No no! It's not that Weegee, it's just…"

His hesitation was enough. Luigi laughed, a bitter sound that turned into racking coughs.

"Mario, you can't fool me. I've been getting worse and worse since I got here, and it doesn't look like I'm gonna get any better."

Mario bowed his head, a silence growing in the room.

Finally he said,

"Y-You'll get through this Weegee."

"You don't know that bro."

"I-"

"The doctors already confirmed, haven't they?"

Mario was at a loss for words. Luigi took his silence as a yes, and tilted his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes tightly.

"I thought so."

A tear leaked from under the clenched eyelid.

"Bro, before I go-"

"You're gonna live!"

Mario exclaimed desperately. A pause, then,

"_When, _I go, I just want you to know I love you, bro."

"I love you too, Weegee."

Luigi's hand searched restlessly across the white sheets before clamping on to his brothers.

Mario spent the rest of the night rubbing soothing circles on the cold hand, and failing to convince himself that his brother would live.

_OoOoOoO_

_The next chapter is dedicated to whoever can guess which My Chemical Romance song inspired this._

_I'm trying to do more sweet stuff. Did I fail or succeed? Probably fail._

_Review!_


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